The Kansas City Chiefs would love to win a third straight Super Bowl next season, but they must first get through free agency.
General manager Brett Veach has a lot of work to do this offseason. According to Spotrac, the Chiefs only have just over $9.6 million in cap space to spend with plenty of holes to fill as well as free agents to re-sign, ranging from defensive tackle Chris Jones to inside linebacker Willie Gay Jr.
On top of that, Veach also needs to consider upgrading certain areas. Even though Kansas City ended the season as the NFL's best team, certain individuals didn't contribute that much toward the Super Bowl run.
With that in mind, here are four Chiefs who are on thin ice heading into free agency.
1. WR Kadarius Toney
Following Kadarius Toney in 2023 was quite the rollercoaster ride, to say the least.
The oft-injured wideout began the new schedule on the wrong foot, tearing his meniscus during training camp. Although he was able to heal up in time for Week 1 of the regular season, it rarely seemed like Toney was ever playing at 100% as he went on to record only 27 receptions for 169 yards with a touchdown across 13 games, failing to record more than 35 yards in a single contest.
When it looked like Toney was going to have his healthiest campaign to date, he missed the final three regular-season games and the entire playoff run with hip and ankle injuries. Off-field drama then began once Toney appeared on Instagram live, seemingly accusing the Chiefs of lying about his health. He later said he was talking about his former team, the New York Giants, but the jury is still out on how true that is.
The Chiefs' wide receiver room was a weak spot in 2023, so I wouldn't be surprised if they look for a more reliable set of hands in free agency. With a career-high of five drops last season, it's clear that Toney isn't that guy whether he's healthy or not.
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2. WR Justyn Ross
Toney isn't the only wideout on thin ice in Kansas City going forward.
Chiefs fans were excited to see what Justyn Ross could do last season after missing his entire rookie campaign with a foot injury. The former CFP National Championship winner showed a lot of promise across three seasons with the Clemson Tigers, hauling in 158 balls for 2,379 receiving yards and 20 TDs in 38 games.
But instead of stepping up in a weak WR room, Ross was mostly invisible in 2023. He only played 20% of offensive snaps across 10 outings (1 start), bringing in 6-of-11 targets (54.5%) for only 53 yards and a pair of first downs. He dropped two of his passes as well and only carried a 67.6 passer rating when targeted, meaning he essentially turned Patrick Mahomes into Bailey Zappe (68.8) when looking his way.
The Chiefs' coaching staff clearly lost all faith in the former Clemson product as time went on, highlighted by his only seeing three offensive downs with four special teams snaps during the postseason.
Between his injury history, lackluster play, and off-field issues, it's likely in the Chiefs' best interest to replace Ross at some point this season. Potentially with a free-agent WR. The good news is that Kansas City can cleanse itself of Ross' entire $915,000 salary if they move on from him at any point this offseason, per Spotrac.
3. S Justin Reid
The 2024 salary cap increasing by over $30 million helps the Chiefs out a lot, but their $9.6 million in open space isn't exactly enough to address all of their needs. Having said that, a lot more money can be freed up if they choose to part ways with veteran safety Justin Reid.
Reid's Kansas City tenure has been somewhat disappointing after inking a three-year, $31.5 million contract back in 2022. He's been disappointing as he enters the final year of his contract, having allowed 771 receiving yards and seven TDs on 76 receptions over the last two years. Pro Football Focus also gave him a 51.8 coverage grade in 2023, which was the 10th-worst mark among 94 eligible safeties.
If the Chiefs want to replace Reid with a cheaper free agent this offseason, there's some good news. Kansas City can save $10.75 million by cutting or trading the former Stanford Cardinal at any point ahead of the 2024 campaign.
Considering how Reid's on-field production hasn't matched his hefty price tag, it might only be a matter of time before the ice completely cracks beneath him.
4. RT Jawaan Taylor
One of the Chiefs' biggest 2023 offseason moves was signing right tackle Jawaan Taylor to a massive four-year, $80 million contract. The former Florida product was a solid blocker across four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, averaging a 67.2 pass-block grade on PFF.
The initial hope was that Taylor could provide a similar level of protection for Patrick Mahomes.
Instead, the 26-year-old surrendered a career-high 59 pressures (42 hurries, 12 hits, 5 sacks) on 909 passing downs, finishing with the second-worst pass-block grade of his career (64.6). He also struggled in run protection, finishing a with a 43.3 run-block grade — fourth-worst among 79 qualified tackles. That's without mentioning the 24 penalties he took after only combining for 25 in the three previous seasons.
If Taylor was making a lot less money, his struggles would hurt a lot less. Instead, he carries a cap hit north of $24.7 million in 2024, which is a scary number given his latest performance. Cutting him at any point would put the Chiefs in cap hell, however, they can free up $10.55 million by trading him before June 1 or $20 million after that date.
Taylor is still under contract for three more seasons, so let's hope he puts everything together again. Otherwise, he might not survive the remainder of his deal in Kansas City.
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